CONTEXT: Names have all been changed for anonimity, there's a lot of inside references and memory references that may not seem as significant to any reader, but just wanted to put this out there to let people know to not get complacent in the relationship and let them get away. I still hope one day I find my way back to her, but for now this was the final letter I left her.
Dear Michelle,
I’ve spent a countless number of days staring at this blank piece of paper not knowing what to do with it or what to say. The number of times I’ve scrunched it up and had to restart is crazy. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I still don’t know what I’m doing with this, just putting all cards on the table I guess. But most importantly I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss you and think about that gorgeous face of yours all the time. In no way is this me trying to “get you back”, no ill intentions or anything negative, please understand this.It’s been many years since I’ve used an actual pen to write on a piece of paper, the last being your “Get Well Soon” card when you were upset about you and your ex and your Christmas Card. Not having you in my life anymore has granted me a lot of time to myself to think and process my life. Believe me, I’ve done a LOT of thinking, about you, about me, about us and life in general. You’ll be happy to know I’ve done a lot of growing and all this period. All that I ask is IF you do read this, try to take in every word and read it meaningfully with no distractions. I write this with all my heart.
Remember the day I planned on asking you out to make things official? I dedicated the entire day to being all about you and keeping that beautiful huge smile on your face. I took you to get your ears pierced, we then went to Chadstone and shopped around, came home to nap before I took you to the Melbourne Star wheel. The glimmer in your eyes throughout the day and even while in the deck was mesmerizing and I couldn’t have been a happier man, unfortunately we were plagued by the indians and their families in the same cabin so I wasn’t able to fulfill my plan on asking you out but we laughed about it in the car ride home and at least it gave us a funny story on how we came to be official. Although I was grateful and thankful for the amazing time I got to spend with you then and especially the feeling of your warmth and comfort when you were cuddled in my arms and in that moment looking at you watching the view with me I couldn’t help think to myself, I’ve never cared about someone so precious ever in my life but most of all, you’ve never looked more gorgeous than in that one moment.
Or even the night I took you to the Conservatory, you wore my favourite outfit of yours but we were still a bit shy with one another. You were quiet at the dinner table as we were still early together but the vibe was mutually great and the night outside was as beautiful as you were. Never have I seen someone I love look so amazing while messily munching down on a buffet of food, that was the night you showed me you were a Little Piggy. The funniest part of the night was seeing your shock and guilt with the bill, I don’t need to tell you the cheeky laugh it gave me to see you like that as I was doing it right in your face. Although, my favourite part of the night was when we parked out the front of your house and chilled there for the longest time and enjoyed each other's company, in that moment, was when I knew, there’s no place I’d ever rather be than with my arms around you.
My all time favourite moment would have to be the time we spent staying at Crown. There has never been a better set of days in my life as perfect as those. It was all unforgettable, from the moment we came and just jumped in bed to cuddle, going to the Galactic Circus and playing the arcade games, especially the fun playing air hockey having to pretend to lose to you, seeing so concentrated on winning and then the smile that erupted on your face when you did, I couldn’t help but smile and think to myself, this angel makes me feel at home. The coolest part was the dinners on both nights, Korean BBQ the first night then having the pleasure of Jono and Erin to join us at Kitchen Workshop for the second night, the casino with them after it was fun as hell. What set each day in stone in my mind was showing you how much you meant to me when making love to you every night, I’ll never forget how lost I was staring into your beautiful blue eyes, I still do to this day and they’ll always be my true favourite feature of you. I’ve had a countless number of memorable cherished experiences with you and it is an honour for a lot of these experiences with me to be your firsts in general.
You’ve taught me so much over these past couple years that we’ve dated, you’ve shown me how to be a better person day by day by treating everyone with the same kindness, love and respect that you’d love reciprocated by them back. I’ve slowly learnt from you on how to be the bigger person in situations instead of sinking down to their level, how to be a mature man and not the Shaun I used to be before I met you. I love the man I have become because of you and have always hoped that you were lowkey proud of my development, all thanks to how amazing you are. Props to your amazing parents for raising the beautiful woman you are today. I know I still have faults, I admit that and take full responsibility for them all but I have grown heaps especially these past few weeks and am still working on them. You may think I never listen to you but I’d like you to trust me, because I always am, I listen to every word of your recommendations on how to be better, at the time I’m just a tiny bit ignorant about it but don’t let that deter you from thinking that I don’t take your words in.
The one thing I have loved being able to do with you that I am unable to do with anyone else EVER is ALWAYS FEELING COMFORTABLE coming to you whenever I need do things like vent, a shoulder to cry on or help with how to deal with certain situations because I found that no one else could ever help as much as you could and would. I loved being able to vent to you about any and every one of my problems throughout my day or life in general, you were my rock, I felt safe and at home knowing that you genuinely cared and were also giving me endless support and advice. It felt good knowing someone was genuinely listening to me and was there. I have always tried my 100% best to do the same for you and I hope I have reciprocated that same feeling back. I hope that you always knew and felt comfortable coming to me to vent about anything, work, life, any of your problems like your career troubles, friends (I’m not going to name all the troubles, we both know everything). Whenever you did rest assured that I always dedicated you my 100% undivided attention and support and would always drop whatever I was doing and come straight over to cheer you up whenever I possibly could because I wanted to always be there for you, seeing you sad is my least favourite thing in the world, it still is.
Most importantly, the one thing I think of that is most special in my life and that I hold very dearly to me is two words:
2 Weeks
In the little over 4 weeks I spent chasing you, I realised that all it took was only the last 2 that meant something to me. 2 Weeks together. 2 Weeks was all it took for me to fall in love with you. I remember our first kiss like it’s tattooed in my mind. I remember every moment, from coming to Jenna’s house to take you home, meeting Rachel for the first time and listening to her saying “you have a really nice car”, you whispering something to her before she closed your door, something that we will both never know which has always crossed my mind, in a happy and funny way. I remember playing our song OTW in the car going towards Mia's place and you falling asleep while it happened, I remember looking at you there so drunk, yet peaceful and full of life, happy in the moment even though you were asleep, no sight has ever lit up my world more than that. Taking you to Mia's house and conversing and getting along with all your friends was great but then our moment happened. I remember holding you so you wouldn’t stumble while walking me to my car, I remember you caressing my arms while we looked into each other’s eyes and all I could think was, there’s nothing in the world that I wouldn’t do for this angel to keep her happy, then you kissed me. You kissed me Michelle. I felt the touch of those soft amazing lips against mine and you turned my whole world upside down, the funny thing is, I was so full of happiness and shock that a tear came out of me left eye and I’m not even joking, I wasn’t crying but it was just one tear and I was praying that you wouldn’t notice and that it didn’t run across your face for you to feel it, thank god you didn’t and this is the first time you’re hearing about it. I laugh every time I think about it. I remember the drive home being one of the longest drives home as I had the windows, sunroof open pumping my hands and waving my arms around like I just scored the winning shot for the NBA Finals. I remember screaming YES!!!!!! FUCK YES!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!! I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!! YESSSSSS!!!! ALL THE WAY HOME, I didn't care if any cars next to me heard or saw, loving life. What adds to this is how you became not only my partner, but my best friend as well. I love how I’m able to be 100% weird and silly with you, I love how much I’m able to be myself around you and share my humour with you, amazing how you find the same humour as me funny. We share a lot of history together. We’ve got history. When I started getting you into Chris Brown properly, then you started sharing the same interests and hobbies as mine (reps, Jordans, setups, gaming, tech, youtubers, PCs, shoes, I got you into the Marvel Universe, then you branched out and we kind of shared Star Wars together too, you branching out into streaming, finding your own favourite games like Skyrim), I loved the influence we’ve had on one another's lives and have always tried to support everything you do, I hope you know that (e.g. like always watching your streams to keep your viewer count up, helping you with your setup ideas, stresses, etc).
I constantly thought to myself, where am I ever going to find someone this gorgeous who’s into literally everything I’m into as well but is somehow still unique in her own way (I love how you enjoy listening to game and movie soundtracks, reading into things like lore of games and stuff, the list doesn’t end). Not only were you my girl, you were my best friend, more than Jono or Jack, more than anyone. My favourite thing is how you even kind of listened to Jake Miller and Zayn when I started playing them in the car and you started singing along and suggesting which songs you like, never been happier and prouder than realising our music taste influences one another, that Post Malone concert we went to was another night I won’t forget. I hope we never leave each other’s lives and stay close, there’s no one in the world like you, I won’t lie when I say I genuinely do hope we find our way back to each other but that’s not me telling you it HAS to happen or like forcing you or anything. It also is definitely not my intent on writing this letter, like I said, I just wanted to speak my mind and also put all my cards on the table. I know you told me not to wait, I listen, I completely understand and have accepted it may not work out, it’s just a little bit hope, I say it with full confidence that I’ll never love someone as much as I love you, you’re my best friend, my soul mate and although you don’t like ‘Friends’, you’re my Rachel, it’s you Michelle, it’s always been you.
It’s been mind-blowing to have you in my life and I am forever grateful and thankful for everything you’ve taught me, helped me with, changed in me (willingly, wanting to and for the better) and especially shown me (like how much I can love someone both as my bestie and my partner, taking advantage of every opportunity given in life). I truly mean it when I say thank you for everything, all the memories, the history, everything. You are a blessing on this Earth.
Thank you Michelle.

[LENGTHY] My Letter to The One That Got Away....

CONTEXT: Names have all been changed for anonimity, there's a lot of inside references and memory references that may not seem as significant to any reader, but just wanted to put this out there to let people know to not get complacent in the relationship and let them get away. I still hope one day I find my way back to her, but for now this was the final letter I left her.

Dear Michelle,
I’ve spent a countless number of days staring at this blank piece of paper not knowing what to do with it or what to say. The number of times I’ve scrunched it up and had to restart is crazy. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I still don’t know what I’m doing with this, just putting all cards on the table I guess. But most importantly I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss you and think about that gorgeous face of yours all the time. In no way is this me trying to “get you back”, no ill intentions or anything negative, please understand this.It’s been many years since I’ve used an actual pen to write on a piece of paper, the last being your “Get Well Soon” card when you were upset about you and your ex and your Christmas Card. Not having you in my life anymore has granted me a lot of time to myself to think and process my life. Believe me, I’ve done a LOT of thinking, about you, about me, about us and life in general. You’ll be happy to know I’ve done a lot of growing and all this period. All that I ask is IF you do read this, try to take in every word and read it meaningfully with no distractions. I write this with all my heart.
Remember the day I planned on asking you out to make things official? I dedicated the entire day to being all about you and keeping that beautiful huge smile on your face. I took you to get your ears pierced, we then went to Chadstone and shopped around, came home to nap before I took you to the Melbourne Star wheel. The glimmer in your eyes throughout the day and even while in the deck was mesmerizing and I couldn’t have been a happier man, unfortunately we were plagued by the indians and their families in the same cabin so I wasn’t able to fulfill my plan on asking you out but we laughed about it in the car ride home and at least it gave us a funny story on how we came to be official. Although I was grateful and thankful for the amazing time I got to spend with you then and especially the feeling of your warmth and comfort when you were cuddled in my arms and in that moment looking at you watching the view with me I couldn’t help think to myself, I’ve never cared about someone so precious ever in my life but most of all, you’ve never looked more gorgeous than in that one moment.
Or even the night I took you to the Conservatory, you wore my favourite outfit of yours but we were still a bit shy with one another. You were quiet at the dinner table as we were still early together but the vibe was mutually great and the night outside was as beautiful as you were. Never have I seen someone I love look so amazing while messily munching down on a buffet of food, that was the night you showed me you were a Little Piggy. The funniest part of the night was seeing your shock and guilt with the bill, I don’t need to tell you the cheeky laugh it gave me to see you like that as I was doing it right in your face. Although, my favourite part of the night was when we parked out the front of your house and chilled there for the longest time and enjoyed each other's company, in that moment, was when I knew, there’s no place I’d ever rather be than with my arms around you.
My all time favourite moment would have to be the time we spent staying at Crown. There has never been a better set of days in my life as perfect as those. It was all unforgettable, from the moment we came and just jumped in bed to cuddle, going to the Galactic Circus and playing the arcade games, especially the fun playing air hockey having to pretend to lose to you, seeing so concentrated on winning and then the smile that erupted on your face when you did, I couldn’t help but smile and think to myself, this angel makes me feel at home. The coolest part was the dinners on both nights, Korean BBQ the first night then having the pleasure of Jono and Erin to join us at Kitchen Workshop for the second night, the casino with them after it was fun as hell. What set each day in stone in my mind was showing you how much you meant to me when making love to you every night, I’ll never forget how lost I was staring into your beautiful blue eyes, I still do to this day and they’ll always be my true favourite feature of you. I’ve had a countless number of memorable cherished experiences with you and it is an honour for a lot of these experiences with me to be your firsts in general.
You’ve taught me so much over these past couple years that we’ve dated, you’ve shown me how to be a better person day by day by treating everyone with the same kindness, love and respect that you’d love reciprocated by them back. I’ve slowly learnt from you on how to be the bigger person in situations instead of sinking down to their level, how to be a mature man and not the Shaun I used to be before I met you. I love the man I have become because of you and have always hoped that you were lowkey proud of my development, all thanks to how amazing you are. Props to your amazing parents for raising the beautiful woman you are today. I know I still have faults, I admit that and take full responsibility for them all but I have grown heaps especially these past few weeks and am still working on them. You may think I never listen to you but I’d like you to trust me, because I always am, I listen to every word of your recommendations on how to be better, at the time I’m just a tiny bit ignorant about it but don’t let that deter you from thinking that I don’t take your words in.
The one thing I have loved being able to do with you that I am unable to do with anyone else EVER is ALWAYS FEELING COMFORTABLE coming to you whenever I need do things like vent, a shoulder to cry on or help with how to deal with certain situations because I found that no one else could ever help as much as you could and would. I loved being able to vent to you about any and every one of my problems throughout my day or life in general, you were my rock, I felt safe and at home knowing that you genuinely cared and were also giving me endless support and advice. It felt good knowing someone was genuinely listening to me and was there. I have always tried my 100% best to do the same for you and I hope I have reciprocated that same feeling back. I hope that you always knew and felt comfortable coming to me to vent about anything, work, life, any of your problems like your career troubles, friends (I’m not going to name all the troubles, we both know everything). Whenever you did rest assured that I always dedicated you my 100% undivided attention and support and would always drop whatever I was doing and come straight over to cheer you up whenever I possibly could because I wanted to always be there for you, seeing you sad is my least favourite thing in the world, it still is.
Most importantly, the one thing I think of that is most special in my life and that I hold very dearly to me is two words:
2 Weeks
In the little over 4 weeks I spent chasing you, I realised that all it took was only the last 2 that meant something to me. 2 Weeks together. 2 Weeks was all it took for me to fall in love with you. I remember our first kiss like it’s tattooed in my mind. I remember every moment, from coming to Jenna’s house to take you home, meeting Rachel for the first time and listening to her saying “you have a really nice car”, you whispering something to her before she closed your door, something that we will both never know which has always crossed my mind, in a happy and funny way. I remember playing our song OTW in the car going towards Mia's place and you falling asleep while it happened, I remember looking at you there so drunk, yet peaceful and full of life, happy in the moment even though you were asleep, no sight has ever lit up my world more than that. Taking you to Mia's house and conversing and getting along with all your friends was great but then our moment happened. I remember holding you so you wouldn’t stumble while walking me to my car, I remember you caressing my arms while we looked into each other’s eyes and all I could think was, there’s nothing in the world that I wouldn’t do for this angel to keep her happy, then you kissed me. You kissed me Michelle. I felt the touch of those soft amazing lips against mine and you turned my whole world upside down, the funny thing is, I was so full of happiness and shock that a tear came out of me left eye and I’m not even joking, I wasn’t crying but it was just one tear and I was praying that you wouldn’t notice and that it didn’t run across your face for you to feel it, thank god you didn’t and this is the first time you’re hearing about it. I laugh every time I think about it. I remember the drive home being one of the longest drives home as I had the windows, sunroof open pumping my hands and waving my arms around like I just scored the winning shot for the NBA Finals. I remember screaming YES!!!!!! FUCK YES!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!! I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!! YESSSSSS!!!! ALL THE WAY HOME, I didn't care if any cars next to me heard or saw, loving life. What adds to this is how you became not only my partner, but my best friend as well. I love how I’m able to be 100% weird and silly with you, I love how much I’m able to be myself around you and share my humour with you, amazing how you find the same humour as me funny. We share a lot of history together. We’ve got history. When I started getting you into Chris Brown properly, then you started sharing the same interests and hobbies as mine (reps, Jordans, setups, gaming, tech, youtubers, PCs, shoes, I got you into the Marvel Universe, then you branched out and we kind of shared Star Wars together too, you branching out into streaming, finding your own favourite games like Skyrim), I loved the influence we’ve had on one another's lives and have always tried to support everything you do, I hope you know that (e.g. like always watching your streams to keep your viewer count up, helping you with your setup ideas, stresses, etc).
I constantly thought to myself, where am I ever going to find someone this gorgeous who’s into literally everything I’m into as well but is somehow still unique in her own way (I love how you enjoy listening to game and movie soundtracks, reading into things like lore of games and stuff, the list doesn’t end). Not only were you my girl, you were my best friend, more than Jono or Jack, more than anyone. My favourite thing is how you even kind of listened to Jake Miller and Zayn when I started playing them in the car and you started singing along and suggesting which songs you like, never been happier and prouder than realising our music taste influences one another, that Post Malone concert we went to was another night I won’t forget. I hope we never leave each other’s lives and stay close, there’s no one in the world like you, I won’t lie when I say I genuinely do hope we find our way back to each other but that’s not me telling you it HAS to happen or like forcing you or anything. It also is definitely not my intent on writing this letter, like I said, I just wanted to speak my mind and also put all my cards on the table. I know you told me not to wait, I listen, I completely understand and have accepted it may not work out, it’s just a little bit hope, I say it with full confidence that I’ll never love someone as much as I love you, you’re my best friend, my soul mate and although you don’t like ‘Friends’, you’re my Rachel, it’s you Michelle, it’s always been you.
It’s been mind-blowing to have you in my life and I am forever grateful and thankful for everything you’ve taught me, helped me with, changed in me (willingly, wanting to and for the better) and especially shown me (like how much I can love someone both as my bestie and my partner, taking advantage of every opportunity given in life). I truly mean it when I say thank you for everything, all the memories, the history, everything. You are a blessing on this Earth.
Thank you Michelle.

Australia Goes Back to the 1980s With Its Economy Closed to World

Australia’s success in curbing Covid-19 infections is allowing it to slowly ease some restrictions even as it remains largely closed off from the rest of the world, taking its economy back to the pre-globalization era.
Mining and agriculture continue to support exports and a government-sponsored group is looking at ways to revive manufacturing. But the flow of foreign tourists, students and immigrants has been frozen, pinning hopes for a rebound on local consumption.
The closed borders and domestic reliance has the economy harking back to the 1980s, before the lifting of tariffs opened up trade and Paul Hogan offered to put another shrimp on the Barbie for international visitors.
Services Driven Nearly two-thirds of economic output from service industries
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Nominal gross value added, 2018-19
The capacity of services to quickly turnaround and the fact Aussies aren’t blowing savings on holidays abroad could help the nation fare better than many developed-world peers. Much will depend on the mood of households as unemployment rises, with a poor construction outlook adding to headwinds.
What Bloomberg’s Economists Say “Close to 1 million Australians per month traveled overseas in 2019. They will now be looking for a change of destination, heading to Noosa instead of Nusa Dua; Port Douglas, not Penang; and catching up with friends at bars in Melbourne Laneways, instead of Hong Kong’s mid levels. Containment measures change the economics of international travel.”
James McIntyre, economist
Household consumption, which makes up around 55% of the economy, has been boosted on the one hand by people stocking up on essentials during the lockdown, but hammered on the other as they couldn’t eat out or go to the movies. Shops and restaurants are gradually reopening but, for consumption to drive any rebound, households must put aside concerns over job security and debt to drive spending. That may be tough.
Wesfarmers Ltd. is seeing shift in consumer behavior across its retail portfolio. Home improvement and office products stores, Bunnings and Officeworks, have seen significant uplift in sales, while general merchandise stores, Target and Kmart, have seen sales slow.
Pessimistic households have consumption outlook seeming bleak Even before Covid-19, Australian households were among the most indebted in the developed world, with debt almost double disposable income. The threat of unemployment to people’s ability to meet their debts is now key, and the Reserve Bank of Australia has long acknowledged it as a major risk facing the economy.
The unemployment rate is currently 6.2%, with the central bank expecting it to peak at around 10%. Banks are offering repayment holidays to help tide homeowners over and have quadrupled provisions for an expected surge in bad debts.
Australia Passes Massive Stimulus Measures as Virus Spreads People wait in line outside a Centrelink office in the Bondi Junction suburb of Sydney, March 2020.Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg The absence of skilled migration due to closed national borders will also hit pause on what had been steady stream of profitable mortgage lending for the banks. That could flow through to housing prices if sustained.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia said its base case is for an 11% fall in home prices, though in a prolonged downturn a cumulative 32% slump is possible. National Australia Bank Ltd. said in a severe downturn, prices could plummet 21% this year.
Uncertainty and job insecurity impacting property market Residential construction typically closely follows house price movements, and the sector was already scaling back activity following the previous flood of new stock still working its way into the market.
The RBA earlier this month said that indications from the initial stages of the development process suggests demand for new housing “has deteriorated significantly.” It expects dwelling investment to plunge 17% in the 12 months through June and remain a drag on growth until 2021.
Property investors have been hit by the six month moratorium on tenancy evictions during coronavirus. Without renewed interest from investors, it’s challenging to get a new apartment development, particularly of any size, into construction.
The same holds for business investment. Unless the project was already underway, or is related to creating a covid-safe environment, capital expenditure plans have been parked until demand returns.
Natural Endowment Things look brighter as you leave the cities. Internationally, Australia is known as a commodity powerhouse. While it accounts for just 10% of output, it is a key source of export income and prosperity in the country.
Iron ore shipments from Port Hedland, a key export hub, hit a record for April, while gold sales from Perth Mint -- the main refiner -- also surged. Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. lifted its projected annual iron ore shipments in a wager on China’s recovery. “We are selling everything we can possibly produce,” Chairman Andrew Forrest says.
Net exports important source of economic growth It’s less rosy for the liquefied natural gas producers. Just as the coronavirus sent the global economy into lockdown, Russia and Saudi Arabia began a standoff that sent oil prices tumbling below zero.
Top producers Woodside Petroleum Ltd. and Santos Ltd. have slashed spending plans and deferred flagship growth projects -- worth over $15 billion -- in line with drastic steps by energy majors worldwide to hunker down during the pandemic.
On The Sheep’s Back Virus Fears Grow In Sydney As Growing GDP Expected To Be Hit Rolls of toilet papers sit in an empty section of a supermarket in Sydney, March 2020..Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg As supermarket shelves were stripped bare, a panicked nation was reminded of the sheer mass of food the country’s farmers produce. Domestic food production services more than 90% of fresh produce sold in supermarkets and still is able to more than match that amount in exports.
The industry could also become an unexpected source of employment. Backpackers and workers from Pacific Islands flock to rural areas to pick up work with seasonal tasks, but with borders shut and jobs being lost across the economy, farmers are likely turn to the local community for the extra labor.
Other producers have greater worries. Barley and meat exporters have been caught in China’s crosshairs in retaliation for Australia’s public call for an independent investigation of the coronavirus outbreak, while the wine industry is looking on nervously.
It’s been a tough year for wine, even before the virus. Clonakilla winery in New South Wales, north of Canberra, decided against producing a 2020 vintage after analysis showed unacceptably high levels of smoke taint from wildfires over the summer.
Exploring Our Own Backyard Australia's China Reliance Backfires as Virus Fallout Spreads Students sit on the grass at the University of Sydney, Feb. 2020.Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg The education industry was one of the first to feel the pinch from coronavirus restrictions. When the government imposed travel bans on flights from China in February, around 100,000 international students were unable to enter Australia to begin the academic year and left universities bracing for a costly fallout.
The University of Sydney, where students from China represented nearly one-quarter of the total student body, projected a A$470 million loss this year. Other institutions, including the University of Melbourne and Monash University, are bracing for similar hits. Even smaller regional institutions that don’t attract nearly the same level of international students have been affected.
With a lot of money at stake, there could be a relaxation of international border restrictions for students to study in Australia, before leisure travelers are allowed. But for businesses catering toward an offshore audience, demand is unlikely to snap back.
Qantas Airways Ltd. is currently operating just 1% of its network and has canceled overseas fights until at least the end of July. Its main competitor, Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd., collapsed into administration in April.
Virgin Australia Collapses After Pandemic Halts Air Travel Virgin Australia check-in kiosks inside a deserted Sydney Airport, April 2020. Photographer Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg Crown Resorts Ltd. and Star Entertainment Group Ltd., which both target big-spending visitors from Asia, were forced to close their casinos in Australia as the country locked down. Crown is just months away from completing a A$2.2 billion luxury gaming resort in Sydney.
The tourism industry was already reeling from the wave of cancellations following the December and January wildfires. The silver lining is that Australians will have no option but to spend holidays on home soil once inter-state travel is allowed again.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-19/australia-goes-back-to-the-1980s-with-economy-closed-to-world?sref=s0L1qQ1H

Calls for Crown to close “The only plausible explanation is, we know a lot of money goes to the Government and that Crown casino has a huge sway in politics, that’s why Daniel Andrews has been quiet on this subject. We’re not seeing the leadership we’re used to in this case.”

A Comprehensive List of All The Escape Rooms in Melbourne!

So! I'm Link and I have a real passion for escape rooms. I'm also on the spectrum so this is probably just a hyperfixation thing, but that's besides the point.
I wanna go and do every room in Melbourne and beyond someday, so I decided to make a list of every room I could find on Google based in the Melbourne area and I thought some people might appreciate if I shared it!
There are actually a surprising amount of venues I discovered when compiling this list that I'd never even heard of before, so making it and learning about them was good fun. There may have been some that I ended up missing though, even though I scoured every website that I could, so if there's anything I'm missing, let me know and I'll happily add it to the list!
Oh yeah, it'd probably good to mention too that I'll be noting down the one I've completed and seen around just to provide a hint of anecdotal evidence for whether these places are worth going to or not, but always take them with a grain of salt or two because I'm...well, me.
Okay, enough said, here's what I've found!

Ukiyo Escape Rooms:

Deep Space (Completed!)
Deep Space: Divinity (NOT YET RELEASED - COMING NEAR THE END OF 2019)
The Crumbling Prince: Chapter I
The Crumbling Prince: Chapter II

Notes: Okay, if you haven't heard of these guys or are looking for a platinum-standard escape room to do, I couldn't recommend them any higher. I went in there with really high expectations (seeing that they'd been rated a 4.9/5 on Google), and even then I was quite literally blown out of the water. I can confidently say that Deep Space was one of the, if not the best escape room I've ever played in. The immersion, technology and story was on a level that I couldn't even possibly imagine, to the point where I was legitimately panicking towards the room's climax. I'm looking to get in a booking for The Crumbling Prince soon because it's supposedly even better than Deep Space, with multiple chapters and an over-arching story. Plus, with a Deep Space sequel on the horizon, I would recommend keeping an eye on Ukiyo more than any other venue in the country and I can't say that with any more sincerity.

Torx Escape Rooms:

Return to Thebes
The Legend of 5 Holy Pearls
The Conspiracy
Green Hospital
UNDISCLOSED SEASON 2 ROOM
UNDISCLOSED SEASON 2 ROOM

Notes: At the time of writing, Torx has 2 new rooms on the way to accompany the Green Hospital as their "Season 2" rooms, so keep your eyes peeled!

Escape Hunt Rooms:

Machinarium
Odditorium
Zodiac Heist
Law & Disorder

Escape Room Melbourne Rooms

Disappearance (Completed!)
Mine Escape
Kellar's Magic Emporium
Fractured: Remember Me

Notes: Ahh, this takes me back. ERM was the first ever (at least, as far as I'm aware) escape room to open in Melbourne and it was also the place that set off my obsession with escape rooms to begin with! Me and my sister were the first ever teen-aged team to make it out of Disappearance on time, and recalling the experience is a delight. Disappearance is one of the best examples of a gold-standard escape room I could think of, and it would definitely stand against many of the more modern and technologically-reliant rooms of today. My mother also participated in the Mine Escape room, and gave it huge kudos for its environment, if that's anything to go by at all.

RUSH Escape Rooms

The Last Knight Rises
The Matrix
Heroes: End Game
Its Nightmare
Bond
Cluemanji

Notes: If you'd be interested at all, RUSH is running a haunted house event from 28 October 2019 - 3 November 2019 called The Exorcist with some puzzle solving elements, but it'll be retired after the Halloween season is over. No info on whether it'll come back, so definitely check it out if you're a horror buff like myself!

TRAPT Bar & Escape Rooms

~~Prohibition~~ (RETIRED AS OF 15/08/2019)
Wizard of Oz
Space
Alchemy I
Alchemy II

Adventure Rooms

The Mad Scientist
The Black Queen
Gaol Break

Notes: While I haven't attended this venue yet, they advertise this thing called a Duel Adventure which seems like good fun. According to their website: "The Duel Adventure format is designed for larger groups. It allows teams to compete against each other in a cat-and-mouse style game. This way Team A has to escape while Team B has to try to catch them before they are able to escape. After 30 minutes the roles are reversed. There is a 10-15 minute break to reset the game."

The Mystery Rooms

Chapter One: The Lost Tomb
Chapter Two: The Medieval Quest
Chapter Three: The Last Stand
Chapter Four: A Grimm Finale

Notes: While these games are presented in a very specific order to be played in to present the story (which, if you couldn't tell by now, I absolutely LOVE rooms that are able to incorporate a good story into themselves), Chapters 1-3 can be played in any order. However! To qualify to play A Grimm Finale, the hardest of all the rooms, you must complete all of the previous chapters and be ready for a challenge. Let's hope that you're up to it. >;)

Doctor Q Escape Rooms

Biohazard
The Lost Tomb
The Last Survivor
We Are Detectives
Institution No.5 (COMING SOON - RELEASE DATE TBA)

Notes: There are some really special things to note about Doctor Q's rooms. Namely, Biohazard and We Are Detectives, in that they're not the typical escape room experiences. We Are Detectives is more of a murder-mystery game with 8 players, 8 scenes and 1 murderer hidden amongst the group. Almost like a real life version of ONUW or Town of Salem. Biohazard on the other hand is a seemingly stupidly immersive escape room, that comes with a 2 hour game time and even NPCs that you can interact with and branch choices around in the game. I'll be trying this one soon and I'm really excited for it!

Drop Bear Escapes

Operation Mindfall (RETIRING ON 24th AUGUST 2019)
Mission Failed
The Lolly Shop
The Rain Forest (COMING IN 2020)

Notes: Another venue with multiple rooms containing one continuous story (in the order listed above), Operation Mindfall shuts down in 10 days as of writing, so grab some tickets quickly if an outdoor open-world escape room sounds fun! Note also that these chapters don't have to be played in order, but should be if you're a stickler for storytelling like me.

LOST AUSTRALIA Rooms:

Level 6 (Completed!)
Castiglione (Completed!)
Nemesis (Completed!)
Alcatraz (Completed!)
Aokigahara
Exodus

Notes: LOST AUS is my most commonly visited venue, as you can probably tell by my completion rates, and it's for good reason. While none of the rooms are extraordinarily outstanding in my opinion, they're still lots of good fun and offer plenty of variety as my silver-standard to gold-standard of escape rooms. Aokigahara is the last room I plan to play through here though, as it's the hardest one they have (with only a 3% clear rate according to the website) and the Exodus room doesn't seem very interesting to me with a 70% clear rate and weirdly biblical theme.

LOST in MELBOURNE Rooms

Annabelle
Before Midnight
Survivor

Notes: Another venue I'd never caught breeze of before compiling this list, LOST in MELBOURNE also has a 4.9/5 rating on Google, putting it on-par with Ukiyo as far as reviews go. This place is definitely on top of my hot-list now and I'll be sure to edit this post with my review of the place after a room or two.

Woodbury Escape Rooms:

Little Playful Things
Wanted: Dead or Alive
The Curse of Kidd Island
Leaper

Notes: Another unheard of venue! This one looks kinda promising as well. It's kinda crazy seeing just how many of these places go unnoticed unless you literally scroll through the pages at the bottom of your Google search.

Locked In Escape Rooms

The Wizard's Lair
Carbine Diamond
The Missing
Blackout

Time is Key Escape Rooms

Bradshaw Manor
The Circus

Notes: MORE UNDISCOVERED ROOMS! THIS IS A DAMN CRIME AT THIS POINT! >:(

STRIKE BOWLING ESCAPE ROOMS

The Old Haunt (Completed!)
Injustice
The Red Manor
Casino Heist
Da Vinci
Forensic
Jailbreak
Shutdown
Alien Invaders (SEE THE NOTES!)

Notes: You won't find Alien Invaders at any Strike venue, except up in Surfer's Paradise, but the reason I put it here is because all of the above games are distributed by the same company ~~(who's name I'm furiously trying to find, but I'm having no luck right now)~~, called Cubescape. There is another venue called Red Herring which has opened recently at Crown Casino that has Alien Invaders, Shutdown and The Old Haunt available to play, so if you wanna try that one, head up to Red Herring instead of buying a plane ticket to Queensland.

Extreme Escape Rooms

The Shadow Circus
Case32
Spellbound

Notes: It genuinely makes me sad that these more underground escape room businesses don't get that much public attention, I know I'd personally hate it if I put so much into a business that I enjoy so much and it wasn't exposed to the mainstream public... :(

escapeXperience Rooms

Amnesia
Burlesque
Clockworks

Notes: This one seems really highly rated, it might be worth a look sometime!

Excape Escape Rooms

Zombie Excape
Frankston Crime Investigation Excape
Project 11 Excape
Illuminati Excape

And that's all of them I could find! Please, please, please let me know if I've missed any and I'll happily add them to the list. Until then, have fun and be good people. :)
EDIT: VaughnJess suggested Timezone Eastland! This venue has 2 rooms, Blackbeard's Cabin and Pharoah's Curse.
EDIT 2: thudworm suggested Omescape, but their site/venue is currently closed for an upgrade, I'll be sure to keep posted on this one!
EDIT 3: alilbitpsycho informed the that Prohibition at TRAPT ran their last sessions on 14/08/2019, so I've crossed it out on the list. Also, 6516440 FOUND THE DAMN COMPANY! It's called Cubescape, so thanks for that!
EDIT 4: MY FIRST EVER GOLD!!!!!!!! Thanks, kind stranger :))

Coverage of the Victorian Premier Dan Andrews press conference and current measures in Victoria

Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a special taskforce of 500 police to enforce a shutdown of pubs, clubs and other venues and restrictions on social gatherings.

Key points:

The Premier said Victorians had been "acting selfishly" by flouting social distancing rules
Teachers are planning online learning for if schools close for term two, after the term one was brought to a close early
Police will conduct spot checks to ensure people are complying with the shutdown

It comes as Victoria recorded another 59 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state's total to 355.
The announcement follows the Prime Minister's declaration yesterday that venues across the country would have to close from midday today to curb the spread of coronavirus.
While the National Cabinet agreed on the shutdown together, it was up to the individual states and territories to put the measures into law.
The "stage one" shutdown in Victoria includes pubs, clubs, nightclubs, Crown Casino, gyms, indoor sporting venues, places of worship, cinemas and entertainment venues.
Restaurants and cafes will only be allowed to provide home delivery or takeaway services. Bottleshops can remain open.
Mr Andrews told ABC Radio Melbourne any business not on the list could stay open, as long as it adhered to social-distancing measures such as ensuring there is 4 square metres for each person on the premises.
Indoor gatherings are still limited to fewer than 100 people.
Mr Andrews said many Victorians had been "acting selfishly" by ignoring social-distancing rules, and warned "people will die" if the measures were not followed.
He told ABC Radio Melbourne stricter measures were likely to be enforced after the next National Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

What must close in Victoria:

Pubs, clubs, hotels, bars and nightclubs that supply alcohol under a general licence (but bottleshops, takeaway meals and accommodation can continue)
Gyms
Indoor sporting centres
Casinos
"A cinema, nightclub or entertainment venue of any kind"
Restaurants and cafes (but takeaways and deliveries can continue)
Places of worship (but weddings and funerals can continue)

The Premier flagged a shutdown of "non-essential" services yesterday afternoon, ahead of a meeting of the National Cabinet last night.
He today denied suggestions his statement on Sunday caused confusion and panic, saying "this is not static. This is moving fast".
Mr Andrews acknowledged it was "frustrating and challenging" that the advice was changing.
"But it's nowhere near as challenging as people doing the wrong thing, and then we have 10,000 people who can only survive if they have a machine to help them breathe and we don't have enough machines and doctors to get that done."

Schools prepare for online learning in case of shutdown

Mr Andrews yesterday announced the school term would end at the end of the school day today, rather than at the end of the week as originally scheduled.
The National Cabinet last night agreed to keep schools open across the country.
"Term two is scheduled to begin on April 14, unless I have medical advice not to proceed with term two," Mr Andrews said this morning.
But he said: "I'm not making that announcement today."
Tuesday will be a pupil-free day for teachers to plan for online learning in the event schools need to remain closed beyond the school holidays.
Childcare centres and kindergartens are deemed essential services under the shutdown measures.
"But this is step one. There will be further announcements to be made," Mr Andrews said.

Police able to fine, detain, arrest

Police and authorised officers will also be enforcing a mandatory self-isolation period for anyone entering Victoria from overseas.
Under Victoria's state of emergency legislation, those breaking the rules face fines of nearly $20,000 for individuals and nearly $100,000 for businesses.
Mr Andrews warned the closure of pubs was not an invitation to have large gatherings at home.
He said last week, one person at a dinner party had coronavirus and by the end of the evening almost everyone had contracted the virus.

"This spreads rapidly. If you act selfishly people will die," he said.

"Many people are doing the right thing and I'm grateful to them."
Mr Andrews said it was people's "civic duty" to distance themselves from others.
He told ABC Radio Melbourne that the Government was arranging temporary accommodation for people experiencing an escalation in domestic violence because they were forced to stay at home
Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said police saw "quite a number of breaches in relation to indoor gatherings" over the weekend.
"We are upping the ante … this is such a significant issue in terms of people's lives, Victoria Police will have a dedicated team tasked with doing those spot checks and making sure people are following the rules in terms of social gatherings," she said.
"Police have the power to fine you, arrest you, detain you and they will use those powers where needed in the interest of community safety."
Mr Andrews said nobody had been fined or charged for disobeying the self-isolation rules.

Supermarkets, shopping centres stay open

Under the stage one shutdown, shopping centres can remain open.
Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne's east, which is the largest complex in Australia, said only 10 stores out of more than 550 had closed on Monday morning.
"Our centres continue to trade as normal. The Federal Government has made it clear shopping centres continue to provide an essential service to our community," a spokesman said in a statement.
The shutdown is in place until midnight on April 13, but Mr Andrews said it was "highly likely" it would be extended beyond that.
The Government yesterday announced emergency relief packages would be provided to those in self-isolation.
On Friday, the Victorian Farmers Federation said the state had "plenty of food" and told those who were panic-buying to "settle your farm".
Full article from ABC news

_xXfinity_'s Redesigned Metro!

Crown Melbourne is about to open its restaurants

Rise and Fall Part 5

Part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
2009 was a grand year. I am 23 years old, will turn 24 late in the year. I am starting to settle down on the drugs and alcohol (not completely but a bit). I log a lot of hours and am playing at my peak level.
There wasnt much in early 09 I can remember. So I will jump to the late spring/early summer. This would be known as “The Summer of the Israelis!”
As best as we were told this is what happened. A very wealthy Israeli man gets ahold of Carbon and wants to play online. Which is illegal in Israel. So Carbon obliges. This wealthy man wants to basically run his own Israeli group. So Carbon accepts massive deposits from this guy and this guy dishes money out to generic accounts that his friends used. All of the usernames were like Momo324 or Momo474. It was blatantly obvious who was Israeli and who was not. There is now dozens if not hundreds of Israelis playing decently big stakes and some were playing nosebleeds and they were all awful. Just fucking awful.
This would be the only time I break strict BRM (after the JERRY2009 incident, fwiw I play Jerry a lot more after that he holds his own but I am winner on him). The Israelis were dragging us up to 10knl. There would be 9handed 10knl games with up to three Israelis on them. I sat those games occasionally. I should have sat them more looking back on it. My roll at this point is 200k~ and I keep 100k on Carbon and cash out excess whenever there is some (basically I had strings of checks pending at all times) so 10k wasnt exactly a comfortable loss. I only log 1k~ hands at that stake and I win a couple buy ins at most. I look back at is as a shot I should have taken more, never has there been softer 10knl online. Scout326 (google if unaware of this guy) was better than a lot of these Israelis.
My friends made great money that summer. I did too. When it was dying down a bit I had a 300k roll. Made 100k in a matter of 3-4 months. This would draw some legitimate players into Carbon though. There was always more competition after this event but it was still the best site I was playing.
I email Poker Stars at some point in 2009 asking to be unbanned and provide details of what I am doing on other sites. They oblige and give me my account back.
I grind a bit on there but the games are just not as soft. I book small win rates in FTP and PS cash games. Under 3bb100 when I was doing 2-4x that on Carbon. Was much less stressful on Carbon also. Stars and FTP were mentally draining. Was a lot of really good players at 1knl. So I basically just play Sundays on the big sites and mix games or stuff just for change of pace.
At some point in 2009 I am on a big skid on FTP and have literally 1,061$ in account. I am not going to reload it as I honestly hated FTP. FTP had the smallest average win rates of all sites that were tracked (PTR or Sharkscope/OPR the studs of online and win rates were about 70% of Stars win rates). Now logically this is not crazy as FTP was a tougher field than Stars. Stars had more players and the bulk of people who play multiple sites are competent. I have some data that I think proved FTP is goofy. I want to conceal my usernames in this story but here is what I can show you easily. If you look at high volume MTT players, go back to OPR and dig through results. Wins come in bunches. In an earlier part of this story I mentioned I went 1-1-X-2 in the Sunday 200$ Horse MTT on FTP, then dont cash it for a year? I have looked through my MTT history on FTP and when I win one tourney I almost always have two more top 2 finishes on the same day or next day. DuckU wins back to back Sundays majors on FTP which is insane (he was a stud though).
Now for the final thing that made me hate FTP. This is gonna branch off into a lovely story about my mom. She wants to learn how to play poker so I give her a secondary FTP account I made which dons the same username as my Carbon name, so I keep it concealed. I dont have sharkscope so I cant go reverify the info but she plays almost exclusively 3$ 90 man KOs. She is a terrrrrible poker player. She color tags every single player she plays with with a base color and changes the color if necessary if she likes or dislikes you. The color tags are nothing poker related, and everything like or dislike related. Aggressive players were disliked because they raised her (or people who beat her in a pot). Passive fish were liked (they never raise her) and everyone else was just the neutral color she chose. My mother plays several thousand of these (I had to xfer her money soooo many times) and loses at an impressive rate. However, if you do detailed searches on those 90 mans an odd statistic is seen. She had considerably more first place finishes than ANY other position at the final table. Which is odd, shes brutally bad (sorry mom). I will say that I in no ways ever thought or think any poker site is rigged for anyone. All sites were beatable. The best players win the money, I just think FTP had a boom switch and doom switch I suppose but nothing was aimed at anyone specifically (I guess the claim would be fish gotta eat too to want to keep playing, fate was given artificially on FTP sometimes, I say this as someone who won a good chunk of money on there over my life)
Ok back to having 1,061$ in my account after a big downer on there. Havent cashed any MTT of substance in a while. I dont play much cash on there. Its Monday and I register the 1k Monday. Usually a 300-400 player field.
I remember nothing of the early tourney or even mid tourney but I remember a couple hands from the final table. (Yea I register for total account balance and FT)
6 or 7 handed and I had been card dead, blinding away. I open rip KQhh in early for like 10bb and guy behind rips his 20bb and a big stack jams over that. So we are all in 3 ways.
All three hands shown are my KQhh, the guy behind me has 99ds and the guy behind him has JJhd
Flop animations spread out 2s 3s 9x
Gooooood game me.
Turn 10s
Oh hey I have one out now!
River Jc
Oh hey I hit a one outer!
And just like that I am 30~ bb deep and back in the mix. The 99 busted so I jump a level too.
I have a friend who plays for a living who railed that FT who still brings that hand up. Wont ever forget that hand I dont think, just absurdly dead on flop.
We get down to 3 handed and I open button with J8cc bb defends get a J high flop and I end up stacking my 20bb~ to J9 for 3rd place. Was 39k. Not bad result for case money. I remember sending pic of my account balance to a friend after registering and it was like 89 cents or something.
Some time after that my FTP account crossed over 100k but I dont recall how. I think I had a bit of a cash heater and some marginal scores in MTTs along with trading money from other sites. Just remember having 100k on two different sites which I thought was cool as every dime I ever made from poker stemmed from selling playchips on Stars years earlier.
Pretty late in 09 I move into a nice apartment and for the first time in my life buy a nice vehicle. I was driving the same truck I had in highschool (a 98 ford f150 extended cab with 300,000 miles on it with original motor) and needed a new one badly. So i buy a 2007 F150 loaded up with every feature available (was still a used truck) for 25,000$. This was the moment I felt I had made it to be honest. It felt really good making that purchase. I squander money at the bars (a trip to the bar never cost less than 500$ buying shots and shit. My friends were all day laborers basically so I gladly bought round after round of shots, wasnt really showing off I just wanted to have a good time) and on stupid stuff like RC airplanes that I wreck first flight, telescopes, hockey gear etc but I never bought anything that made me flashier, this truck was the first purchase that did that.
Late in 09 I am at a local casino on the weekend of a 1600$ mtt. Get hammered drunk (live poker was still just a vacation for me) and lose like 10k. The next day I play that MTT. Bag. The next day we come back and I go on a tear and make FT as chip leader. Continue that tear literally making zero mistakes, everything I did was right. Obviously ran well as thats how you do everything right, but I made a few good folds a few 3b/4b/5b with air that were successful, just everything lined up. I win 80k which made me feel better about the 10k I fucked off on that Friday. It remains the only MTT score live of over 25k. I dont play a ton of them, just when they are local and I skip plenty. Id prefer to just play cash forever where I get no tax forms. After this tournament I am at my peak roll basically. I am just shy of a 400k roll when I peak. Had I been disciplined with my money and put more hours in earlier who knows where I would have been. I would guess at this point in my life I had made 700k playing poker, I spent stupid amounts of money had a few pit spews just was reckless in general.
2010 starts off with a trip down under. Aussie Millions is where I was headed. I had won a seat on Carbon. I pack a bag, grab 25,000 in cash, head to the airport and am on my way.
Flying to Australia is a bit of a trip. My flight route went Tulsa to Denver to LAX then to Melbourne. I departed LAX at 10PM on Thursday to show up in Melbourne early Saturday around 9AM. 17~ hour flight and from Oklahoma a 17 hour time difference, forward. Lose a day and a half on that flight. I had taken a few xanax with me for the long flight and had a drink or two right as the flight took off and passed out. I was sitting in a row of 3 seats on the right side of the plane next to a good looking young Australian couple who were headed back from an American vacation. I had the aisle seat (there was a ton of leg room though) and I literally fall asleep an hour ish into flight and wake up at a later time. My contacts were stuck to my eyes from the sleep, could barely open my eyes and I look over and ask them how far out we were. They said “the captain just came on and said were about half an hour out”. Sweet... I slept for like 15 fucking hours, yay xanax, the first time ever drinking and xanax ever did me any good.
I get to my hotel which is a block or two from the Crown Casino and I walk down to take a look. A couple 5-10 seats were open and I hand them some cash and they say I have to exchange for Aussie Dollars. This was right after the recession and the exchange rate at that time was strong for Australia. I think they were 93 cents on the dollar.
I play some cash for a few days. I drink excessively every day. One day at a 10-20 game I am at the table with LuckyChewy BalugaWhale and several other studs (they have zero clue who I am nor need they know) but my drunken self tries to set up a prop bet. I wanna bet 5000$ that I can have a cocktail every half hour for 12 hours and book a win in the game we were at. No one wanted it (I was drunk and they likely wanted me to leave them alone, they were all buddies it seemed).
So my bad ass self decides to just do it anyways. About 6-7 hours in I am pretty fucking drunk and up like 12-13k and my 14-15k stack was made involving 9 1,000$ chips. I remember getting bored of the game that had turned nitty and started putting those 9k chips in without looking. Did it back to back hands and no one called. The third hand I look at AJo and rip the 9 1k chips in the pot again (I kinda remember thinking that this was a value rip after the previous two hands. As if someone would just pile in A8 lol) and a guy with 6-7k calls off. He has QQ and holds.
This session that I was up 12,000~ ends up felting my cash for the trip. Literally go from 12k winner to 20k loser (I was down 5k on trip from playing the 5k HU tourney).
Fortunately for me my aunt was flying down with her girlfriend (yea shes a lesbian) in two days so I called my sister had her get 25k out of my safe give it to my aunt and she would bring me some cash. The next two days I play online in my hotel room. My aunt shows up a couple days later and were back in action!
I end up drinking relentlessly and losing most of that 25k. I busted the 10k main level one barreling three streets with air. I played excellent in Australia to say the least. Probably some of the least disciplined behavior I have ever exhibited. I was in one of the most unique countries on earth for 15 days and never made it more than a mile from the casino and the only reason I made it a mile was I met up with some chick who was an exchange student at my highschool and was from Melbourne (dont worry she wasnt cute). (As a matter of fact I was highly disappointed with the quality of the women in Melbourne).
The only other things worth telling from that trip was escorts were legal, I am pretty sure the strip clubs didnt allow you to tip money to girl on stage (only buy dances) and you couldnt tip the poker dealers. A funny story about the escorts. I hire one one night. I had done this in Vegas a time or two but was always shitfaced when I had done it. I do it sober in Australia. She meets me and I am thinking what the fuck am I doing. Was weird for me. Barely mess around (brief bj was peak) and I am like I cant do this. I felt bad about paying for sex. So I give her 800$ for nothing basically. Just weirded me out knowing how bad that life is. Drunk me would never had a second thought, but sober me did.
I head home stuck 45k or something. Was a bad trip to say the least. This is about the point where things start trending down for me. Im not long after having a 400k roll (I am still near that at this point) and having a massive year (2009 I won over 250k) but some future events will set in motion my downfall, and not hard to predict Black Friday will be part of it. Will post next one soon.

Coin Counting in Melbourne CBD/innercity (a follow-upish)

The 2014 WSOP Asia-Pacific series is in full swing

Gambling and your team: Just how firmly entrenched has gambling become in the teams we follow? Club-by-club.

Adelaide

The Crows currently have no poker machines.
They recently discussed buying an established poker machine venue (hotel) as a revenue stream but this has not eventuated. The idea was put forward by ex-CEO Steven Trigg, who is now with Carlton.
Adelaide has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies.
They do have a sponsorship deal with Adelaide Casino.

Brisbane

The Lions’ social club, LIONS@springwood, has 200 poker machines in its gaming lounge. The club is the “official community headquarters” of the Brisbane team.
Brisbane has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos.
Brisbane has a sponsorship deal with online sports betting company SportsBet.

Carlton

The Blues have five poker machine venues: Club Laverton, the Royal Oak in Richmond, Vic Inn in Williamstown, the Manningham Club and the Yarra Valley Country Club. The first four of these are operated by Carlton FC Ltd, while the Yarra Valley Country Club is operated by Yarra Valley Country Club Inc. Both companies include Carlton General Manager Martin Shannon (and several others) on their lists of approved associates.
Carlton now has more poker machine venues (five) than any other AFL club. This dubious honour was previously held by Collingwood (four).
The Royal Oak had previously been run by Richmond and the Vic Inn by the Western Bulldogs; in 2010 ALH boss and former Carlton director Bruce Mathieson terminated their leases and handed them over to Carlton. The Manningham Club had previously been partnered with the Brisbane Lions.
New Carlton CEO Steven Trigg (formerly of Adelaide) has previously favoured using poker machines for revenue.
~~Carlton has a sponsorship deal with online sports betting company William Hill.~~ (Edit: Agreement has expired)

Collingwood

The Magpies currently have two poker machine venues: The Club, and The Coach & Horses.
A third venue, the Diamond Creek Tavern, was a massive loss-making exercise and was eventually sold by Collingwood back to its original owners.
A fourth venue, The International, was closed with the original intention of moving its poker machines to a new venue, the East Ridge Club. However, the East Ridge Club hasn’t opened and The International has re-opened under the ownership of local club Vermont.
Collingwood has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos. They formerly had a deal with online sports betting company Sportbet but this has now ended.
Collingwood is one of six Victorian AFL clubs to sign the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) Responsible Gambling Charter. In doing so, they agree not to undertake deals or partnerships with sports betting companies. However, the charter does not preclude them from owning/operating poker machines.

Essendon

The Bombers have two poker machine venues: the Melton Country Club and the Essendon Football & Community Sporting Club.
Essendon has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos. They formerly had a deal with online sports betting company Centrebet but this has now ended.
Essendon is one of six Victorian AFL clubs to sign the VRGF Responsible Gambling Charter. In doing so, they agree not to undertake deals or partnerships with sports betting companies. However, the charter does not preclude them from owning/operating poker machines.

Fremantle

The Dockers, being a West Australian club, have no poker machine venues.
Fremantle has a sponsorship deal with online betting company TABTouch. The club also has a sponsorship deal with Burswood Casino (Crown Perth).

Geelong

The Cats have two poker machine venues: the Geelong Football Club (located onsite at Kardinia Park) and The Brook On Sneydes.
Geelong has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos.

Gold Coast

The Suns have no poker machine venues.
Gold Coast do have a strong association with local club the Southport Sharks, listing them as a patron partner. The Sharks earn considerable revenue from poker machines.
Gold Coast have recently investigated buying an established poker machine venue as a means of revenue; however, this has not happened yet.
Gold Coast has a sponsorship deal with online sports betting company UBet.

Greater Western Sydney

The Giants have no poker machine venues. They have recently investigated buying an established poker machine venue as a means of revenue; however, this has not happened yet.
Greater Western Sydney has a sponsorship deal with an online sports betting company, but there seems to be some confusion as to which one! The Giants website lists ACT TAB as a partner, whereas sports betting company Ladbrokes states on their website that they are partners of the Giants.

Hawthorn

The Hawks have two poker machine venues: Vegas at Waverley Gardens (operated by Hawthorn FC Ltd) and the West Waters Hotel (operated by CSJV Nominees Pty Ltd). CSJV Nominees is essentially Hawthorn FC, with a few extra people.
Vegas at Waverley Gardens is the highest-earning poker machine club venue of any of the Victorian AFL clubs.
Hawthorn has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos.
Hawthorn is one of six Victorian AFL clubs to sign the VRGF Responsible Gambling Charter. In doing so, they agree not to undertake deals or partnerships with sports betting companies. However, the charter does not preclude them from owning/operating poker machines.

Melbourne

The Demons have two poker machine venues: Leighoak and The Bentleigh Club.
Melbourne has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos.

North Melbourne

The Kangaroos have no poker machine venues, having handed back their licences several years ago. They also have no discernible association with any online betting companies or casinos.
North Melbourne have taken an anti-gambling stance. At one stage they signed a deal with World Vision, which precluded them from earning any future revenue from gambling for the duration of their association. That deal has now finished.
North Melbourne was the first of six Victorian AFL clubs to sign the VRGF Responsible Gambling Charter. In doing so, they agree not to undertake deals or partnerships with sports betting companies. However, the charter does not preclude them from owning/operating poker machines.

Port Adelaide

The Power have two poker machine venues, The Port Club and the Prince of Wales.
Port Adelaide has a sponsorship deal with online sports betting company UBet. They also have a partnership with Adelaide Casino.
Port Adelaide is the only AFL club with poker machine, sports betting and casino partnerships.

Richmond

The Tigers have one poker machine venue: the Wantirna Club. They formerly had a second venue, the Royal Oak, but in 2010 ALH boss and former Carlton director Bruce Mathieson terminated the lease and handed it over to Carlton.
Richmond has a sponsorship deal with online sports betting company SportsBet.

St Kilda

The Saints have one poker machine venue: the St Kilda Football Social Club.
At one stage St Kilda were the public face of sports betting in the AFL, with Centrebet as their major sponsor. In recent years the Saints have moved away from this position, ending their partnership with Centrebet and taking on a lesser partnership with Ladbrokes. In October 2015 St Kilda signed the VRGF Responsible Gambling Charter and committed to ending their partnership with Ladbrokes by the end of the month.
Consequently, as of November 2015 St Kilda has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos.
St Kilda is one of six Victorian AFL clubs to sign the VRGF Responsible Gambling Charter. In doing so, they agree not to undertake deals or partnerships with sports betting companies. However, the charter does not preclude them from owning/operating poker machines.

Sydney

The Swans have no poker machine venues.
Sydney has no discernible association with any online sports betting companies. They do have a partnership with The Star Casino.

West Coast

The Eagles, being a West Australian club, have no poker machine venues.
West Coast has a sponsorship deal with online betting company TABTouch. The club also has a sponsorship deal with Burswood Casino (Crown Perth).

Western Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have two poker machine venues: Club Leeds and the Peninsula Club (formerly the Dromana/Red Hill RSL).
The Bulldogs were building a third venue, Club Edgewater, which experienced considerable opposition from local government. This deal recently fell through (in August 2015) and the Bulldogs have withdrawn their involvement.
The Western Bulldogs have no discernible association with any online sports betting companies or casinos.
The Western Bulldogs are one of six Victorian AFL clubs to sign the VRGF Responsible Gambling Charter. In doing so, they agree not to undertake deals or partnerships with sports betting companies. However, the charter does not preclude them from owning/operating poker machines.

src

Newbie in Melb looking for help jobhunting

Weird Angle Shooting Hand Live 1/3

Southbank hotel floods after man opens fire hydrants on 18 floors

Slaughter Theatre

Listen, mate. Something is rotten in the State of Victoria, Australia.
From the muddy banks of the Yarra, up and beyond Sydney Road, to the Dandenong mountain ranges….down to the borders of Port Phillip Bay where the fibreglass Luna Park clown, old Mr Moon, grins contemptuously over the brothels and slums of St Kilda. Fuck me sideways. Pernicious humidity followed by a spell of rain, and a sky perpetually overcast with moral decay. Something is wrong, and it rhymes with girder.
Yeah, see....in St Kilda, in July of 2017 a dead body was found in the Triangle construction Site near the Bay, adjacent to where the Palais theatre once stood —before it burnt to cinders. Body had also been burnt, and was unidentifiable, charcoaled as it was. Funnily enough...Nobody seems to know who is to blame. As daily race riots and brawls break out on St Kilda streets, and the cops impose tougher alcohol restrictions, this gaping wound remains untended.
J D Williams and the three Phillips brothers from Seattle had their part;— left their American legacy in Australia, no doubt about it— the Coney Island style theme park of vices, a carnival of underground crimes which led to that precise moment —a swamp of intertwined histories beyond my capabilities to research thoroughly or summarise accurately. Nevertheless, I swear to you old chum, like a moth to a flame, I was drawn into the tangled investigation of that mangled female corpse near Luna Park,... an investigation which would near drive me insane.
My name is Pharlap Dronefire, a Private Investigator based in South Yarra.
I’m not normally inclined to investigate murder cases, but this particular private client had a list of seemingly unrelated things he wanted me to research, the St Kilda murder being just one of them. As I didn’t have access myself to the police files, I resolved to meet up with my police contact, Andrew Barrington, and get the facts surrounding the case.
Officer Barrington consented to meet at Luigi’s; a video game themed bar on Acland Street. It was a hot Saturday, and the St Kilda crowds were wild and varied; thousands of English, Irish and American tourists flocked to the beach, whilst teenagers vomited on the rickety roller-coasters of the seaside theme Park. The scenes were impressionistic, with Bosch-like crowds, bollards lined with palm trees. Myriad junkies asked for change and cigarettes of passers by— on the street, whilst bips and boops sang out from customers playing the vintage arcade machines behind me.
I sat at the outside tables, drunks brushed by me on the cramped and cracked sidewalk, car pollution and smog slept thinly at knee level over the scene, as the green and orange blur of a passing tram flashed by.
I saw officer Barrington approaching from a distance and waved as he crossed the road, shortly he sat down at the table and we ordered two Pale Ales.
‘Thanks for comin’ Bazza’ I said with genuine appreciation. Barrington scratched his face, and muttered a kind of ‘no wukkers ’ through his chin.....he seemed to have a lot on his mind. ‘So what have you got on this St Kilda killing?’ I asked directly, ‘There’s almost nothing online about it, barely made a dent in the press.’ ‘Jesus Pharlap.’ Barrington sighed, ‘Haven’t you got anything better to do than dig up old corpses?’ ‘You know me Baz—’ I said, ‘I’m determined to end up a chalk outline myself. But this corpse is still pretty fresh i’d say. Why are the cops choking on this chicken anyway? What’s the unseen bone?’ ‘Look…’ Officer Barrington sighed, as our beers arrived and I took a big swig of lager; ‘The murder made the papers when it happened, toured the news for a week or so...but because the body has never been identified there hasn’t been much for the press to chew on. There’s no suspects, no motive or cause. We’ve only been barely able to piece together what actually happened.’ Barrington took a sip of beer, as I jotted down some notes. The officer looked down at my ex—left-hand for a moment, noticing the bandaged stub from the accident that had happened to me recently. ‘What happened to your hand?’ He asked. ‘My own bones have been chewed…You and I...’ I replied, ‘....Work in a dangerous line of work.....sometimes the danger of your profession leaks over to mine in unexpected ways ....probably best leave it at that. So what exactly DO the police know about this barbecued girl?’.
I noticed an extraordinary amount of discomfort in Barrington’s face as he discussed the girl. Being partially involved in the murder investigation, it seemed to have particularly disturbed him. He struggled uncomfortably in his seat, Barrington was a large muscular man with thick, black-rimmed glasses and layered, thin hair. His eyes seemed permanently tinged with paranoia.
‘Officially?’ Barrington replied nervously, ‘Nothing...... But unofficially....’ ‘You’ve got your own theories about who did this, don’t you?’ I asked making my own deductions. Bazza sighed and massaged the back of his neck; ‘Look’ he said, ‘Whatever I tell you here is completely off the record. You understand?’ I made an affirmative gesture.
‘You know well— I’ve been investigating various unsolved gangland killings for a long time.’ Said Officer Barrington, ‘We’ve discussed previously my unofficial research and interests.’ I nodded, motioning him to continue. ‘Well. Hexton Police Station is full of officer’s hunches. We’ve always known of these criminal families running things, and what not, but sometimes you don’t have the evidence to put the bastards away. This case goes back years....’
Another tram chimed past in the street as Bazza continued his story; ‘There was the Walsh Street Massacre in 1988; that set a wave of anxiety through the ranks. You’ve head of it?’ ‘Sounds familiar. That’s what ‘Animal Kingdom’ was about, right?’ I said. ‘Right. Before Howard took the guns away, you had the crime families, bank robbers, strings of crimes done with sawn-off shotguns in broader Hexton. Cops shot Greame Jensen, and Victor Pierce promised two cops would die in revenge attacks. After those two young coppers were murdered in Walsh Street, the cops fought back. Executed a bunch of the gang leaders. Then there were the trials of the Walsh Street killers, that bitch Wendy Pierce didn’t testify. Half the buggers never done time. I was trying to nail Peter McEvoy for a long time in the nineties. He moved up to NSW after he was freed.’ I furiously recorded notes as the officer spoke.
‘After the gangland killings of the nineties, and the Purana task force, it took years to catch up on who was doing what. Well that’s when I really went down a rabbit hole in my research. Started trailing these rich crime families who’d been running tricks over the NSW/Victorian border for over a century unchecked. I’m not talking about Gangitano, Gatto or the Manillas. Used to be all the crime was comin’ in from the docks, you know? The Painter and Dockers union, that’s where Victor Pierce worked, the Walsh Street murderer, the Moran family and the Carlton Crew, they were all running drugs through Port Melbourne. The Calabrian mafia, AKA the honoured society, the Ndrangheta—now they also got their claws into Australian society way back then too, they come down from Queensland, had their racketeering going through the fruit and vegetable markets. Everyone remembers the key events— Frank Benvenuto was killed in 2000, but even without their leader the ’Ndrangheta was obviously still operating —because in 2008 the cops seized 15 million ecstacy pills hidden in tomato cans from Calabria. Now, Frank Benvenuto rang Victor Peirce the day he died. You want my opinion— That’s because the thugs that organised Walsh Street, weren’t just acting on some petty revenge motive. The whole thing was planned from higher up, maybe Frank was fronting up to Peirce before he was shot, and maybe Peirce knew too much when he was blown away in 2002. You catch my drift?’
‘’Im trying my best to follow—’ I replied, still anxiously scribbling notes.
‘Keep up mate… Anyway listen, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, people have been too hung up on Islamic extremism to pay attention to what’s really happening with the Mafia and these other organisations, these crime families. Now there was way more knowledge of this in the police force, the internal corruption was proven to go right to the top….in the end — we know the Wood Royal Commission only really exposed the affairs of the Kings Cross Police in Sydney, barely scratched the surface of mafia interception and corruption within the government. Yeah, they brought in some regulations, hell… even that snake Roger Rogerson got done eventually,…the Labour party dealing with Mokbel was partially revealed… but all the while, secret meetings of the same groups were happening; members of corporations, corrupt police, board members, Australian politicians. I was still trailing them, I had addresses of mansions where these figures lived and hung out. Just waiting to catch a lucky break. This wasn’t just a few career criminals. It was like an underground cult.’
I polished off my beer and motioned with my hand to the waitress to bring out another one. ‘So you think this St Kilda killing was perpetrated by these underground crime families?’ I asked intrigued.
Bazza grew more paranoid still, almost sweating and glancing about him as if he was afraid of being watched. ‘There’s this urban legend among ...those interested in crime ....in this city. Have you ever heard of the the ‘Slaughter Theatre’ trilogy?’ ‘The what?’ I asked cluelessly. Barrington seemed peculiarly begrudging to keep telling me information about what he knew, nonetheless he obligingly indulged me;
‘Back in the days of Walsh Street there were rumours of these VHS tapes existing, you know?… It was rumoured that Peter McEvoy, Victor Pierce and other murderers involved in the police killings— used to film their crimes. Snuff videos —which would prove their identities in various murders —nail the Walsh Street killers, and hundreds of other crime figures….. these VHS were alleged to have been seen by multiple witnesses. The stickers on the old video tapes were supposed to be labelled ‘Slaughter Theatre’ in red permanent marker, creepy handwriting. That’s what all the legends say anyway. I know officers who claim to have seen some of this footage. I’m talking sadistic brutal shit. You remember Dennis Allen?’ ‘Sure’ I said. ‘Mr Death they used to call him, well— there’s apparently a snuff video of Allen cutting up one of his biker adversaries with a chainsaw, he’s covered in blood, films the whole thing as he approaches a bunch of slaughterhouse workers in their white gear. They’re all covered in blood and laughing their asses off, saying ‘What floor you working’ on then Dennis?’. Another guy I know claims he’s seen these tapes, proof of all kinds of things we just suspected… Mad Charlie being massacred at his home in Caulfield. Girls being raped and tortured and mutilated. One of the pieces of footage is allegedly of a group of about 30 members of the Comanchero Motorcycle club, and they’re standing around with a group of these government guys in suits, who pay them a bunch of money, then what follows is a sadistic orgy which ends in bloodshed and bizarre ritual.’
I sweated, my hand starting to cramp from the overload of information. I held my hand up for a moment, indicating Bazza to give me a second to catch up. Finally, after a deep breath, and massaging my wrist, I waved; ‘Go on’. Barrington continued;
‘In the nineties and noughties —more rumours popped up about these secret videos. Apparently rich perverts we’re paying criminals for these snuff films, this Slaughter Theatre….. some of them were even getting top notch production values with members of the Melbourne creative industry being involved. At least that’s how the rumours go. The legends are constantly embellished. In the 90’s it was burnt DVD’s which the files were allegedly being copied to. Press dubbed it ‘Slaughter Theatre part Two’. Then downloaded files, and well, you can imagine how the rumours escalated in the modern age of social media.’
I tried to absorb what Barrington was telling me, but had to admit it sounded suspiciously like an urban conspiracy theory. I tapped at my pad with the nib of my pen. ‘So how exactly does this relate to the burnt female corpse that was dumped here in St Kilda?’.
‘Listen,’ Barrington said adjusting his thick, black glasses nervously and preparing to stand; ‘I’m afraid there’s only so much I can tell you without compromising my job. That girl was burnt alive, with a can of gasoline. Autopsy confirms that much. If I tell you that urban legends suggesting that her murder was filmed— are prominent in police circles, would you even believe me? What if I told you I had proof that this murder was filmed as part of a third instalment in this snuff trilogy? Slaughter Theatre - Part Three. That these murders are having a resurgence ——that its all part of this conspiracy?’ ‘I’d say you were either crazy, or had something that would make the biggest news story in Australian history.’ I replied bluntly. Officer Barrington stood up and handed me a business card; ‘That’s all I can do, mate—to tip you off. Listen Pharlap… If you want to learn more I suggest you dig around about this snuff video, I think you’ll find more than you had imagined in your worst daydreams. The.... You’re going to want to speak to the guy —on this card’— (Barrington handed me a business card)— ‘…about a murder that happened at the Three Vertice construction site in Footscray in July 2016. Sorry I can’t be of more help...’ Officer Barrington then shook my hand firmly, and I thanked him before he disappeared into the St Kilda crowds.
So that was how it started. How my innocence was tainted, and I was dragged into this most unnerving and unusual investigation. The business card Barrington gave me belonged to somebody called ‘Drendyl Pex. Three Vertice Construction Company. Owner. Manager.’
For a moment I sat back, and tried to get the tangled mess out of my brain, sipping at the last of my beer. Surely Barrington had gone a bit nuts— reeked of classic Police conspiracy stuff. The idea that the whole criminal underworld is linked through some kind of satanic cult— it was absurd. Satanic Panic. And as for this snuff film? Well… I just had trouble believing that something that could’ve appeared on a /4chan creepy pasta/ could exist in any tangible reality. Nonetheless, right now, it was my only lead. If Barrington believed that the murder of the girl at St Kilda… could somehow be linked to another murder in Footscray, i’d have to investigate it, any other solution would be neglectful.
It was about a twenty five minute drive out to Footscray in my Valiant Charger. I had the air conditioning up to full blast, and my tinted windows down. The radio was blaring FURY FM, some poncy hipster DJ raving on about his succulent garden, and his batch of home-brewed beer. I was about to turn it off when a killer track came on, Head On by The Jesus and Mary Chain, so I cranked the volume and hit the gas. The DJ may have been an arsehole… but he did have decent taste in music, the next tracks were also great; King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, MGMT -Little Dark Age, ORB -Man in the Sand, Nap Eyes -Don’t be Right. The synthetic pulses of the Chromatics cover of Kate Bush’s ’Running up that Hill’ was playing as I pulled into the car park of the Three Vertice construction company.
It was a busy location, with an adjacent yard; many workers in their flouro orange high vis neons and yellow hard hats coming and going. I stumbled over a poorly concreted patch of turf, up a flight of roughly hewn stairs, through a mesh steel fence, until I came into a sheltered office, and temporary reception desk. The lady at the desk gave me a funny look, and I realised I was still wearing my aviators and tennis visor, and I removed them for politeness. ‘Pharlap Dronefire. I’m here to speak to Drendyl Pex’, I said flatly. The blonde woman with dark wirey eyebrows still had an aggravated look on her face, she scowled and said, barely curteously; ‘I’m afraid Mr Pex is quite busy, do you have an appointment?’ I thought cunningly for a few split seconds; ‘No. But this is of a very private and urgent nature. Mr Pex will see it in his interest that we speak as soon as possible—’ ‘Im sorry sir, but Mr Pex….’— ‘—You can tell him it’s in relation to something that happened last year—at this site— he may want to keep confidential…’ The woman sighed, looking fearfully at her computer, ‘Ill try his office, if you just want to take a seat Mr….?’ ‘Dronefire’ I repeated, casually taking a seat on the old, tattered couch.
It was about a seven minute wait —before a well dressed man, with shoulder length, greased-back hair, purple waist coat, cravat, dark velvet jacket and long boots walked into the room. The woman stood up to introduce us, but before she had a chance the man lunged forward and stood before me with his right hand held straight. The man commanded a strange authority, so that I found I quickly leapt to my feet in his presence, and before I knew it we were in the middle of a firm handshake. ‘Mr Dronefire I believe? Drendyl Pex.’ ‘It’s a pleasure, sir, Is there somewhere we can talk a little more privately?’ ‘Of course, please… Come to my onsite office.’ I followed Mr Pex outside of the temporary unit, and we walked up a hazardous mud slide mountain to a— 3 metre square— white cubicle or trailer. Pex opened a door, and we entered into the luxurious space, decked out with a bar and expensive furniture and entertainment system. ‘Can I fix you a rum, Mr Dronefire?’ Pex asked. ‘I’ve never said no to a rum before.’ I replied truthfully. Pex pulled down a bottle from his packed shelves, dropped ice machine cubes into two glasses and poured. ‘On the rocks suit?’ ‘Yeah…that…uh…that….suits perfectly’ I replied. Drendyl handed me a three quarter full glass of pale liquid; ‘Have you tried it?’ He asked ‘Australian brand, from Adelaide, Gunnery, white spiced. Best this country has to offer.’ I took a sip of the drink, and was surprised by the earthy taste, it was dirty but delicious.
‘Mr Pex’ I said, ‘May I be upfront?’ ‘You want to know about the death that occurred last year.’ Pex replied; ‘I’m guessing you’re a Private Investigator or amateur sleuth of some kind.’ ‘Your receptionist passed on the hint, I suppose?’ I asked. ’I must apologise for our quote-unquote reception. It’s a temporary head office, we’re building a new office space here. Miss Weabley is actually our occupational health and safety manager, just filling the desk whilst we get a new temp in—’ ‘I’m not here representing anyone in a legal capacity Mr Pex’… I said, sensing Pex’s defenses, ‘…you guessed it right, I am a P.I-——— my client is interested in a murder that occurred in St Kilda recently, however other trails of research have led me to a you. Did the death last year occur at this location?’ ‘Aha!’ said Pex, seeming to have figured me out, ‘You’re following the urban legend surrounding a certain snuff film.’ I tried not to act surprised. ‘I can provide you some information about that. But follow me, I want to show you something first.’
Pex swigged the rest of his drink, and placed down the empty glass, I followed his lead, and we exited the white building, trudging around a muddy path on the outer rim of the construction zone. My head was warm from liquor and smog, the sprawling horizon bore the haphazard scattering of Footscray industry. ‘Just up here…i’ll show you…. is where the death happened Mr Dronefire. Alice Goddard. Up over the hill there. I’ll show you the place alright…but….. Are you familiar with Footscray at all?’ ‘Not really…Not a bulldogs fan….I…uh…I barrack for Essendon.’ I joked. ‘Blasphemy’ Pex smiled with formulaic small talk, ‘This was Wurundjeri land, where we are standing. Some time ago it was an immense lagoon where the Koories went fishing. There was a factory here at the turn of the century when the industrial revolution hit. They bulldozed it in the seventies, and it’s been nothing much more than landfill up until 2007 when the Three Vertice construction company purchased it. It’s been a sort of base for some time, although our head office used to be in Fitzroy. We are an equal opportunity employer Mr Dronefire. In the last 20 years, over 50 thousand employees; South Vietnamese, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Somalian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indonesian —they have all come through here.’ ‘I’m not quite sure why you are telling me this Mr Pex’ I confessed. ‘I know you’re not a fool Mr Dronefire. We’ve been through our trials and tribulations, pleaded our side in court cases. I don’t particularly enjoy going through the ordeal of recounting the horrific tragedy that happened here last year over and over again. But if I can be plain with you, off the record…’ I nodded. ‘There’s no doubt that girl Alice Goddard was murdered out here, and if you ask me, the likelihood that someone under the employ of the Three Vertice Construction company committing that murder— it’s more than just a likelihood. Of course, you can understand…. why, as leader of this company I would be cautious about publicity over this, i’m not a monster. My pity for the girl is endless. I’ve been very frank with the police about giving them all our employee files.’
I felt like I had just taken in a whiff of pure Drendyl heroine, and had to take a minute to contemplate it. ‘I’m not here to accuse you or your company of anything untoward Mr Pex. Just to seek out the truth. To be honest, I have absolutely nothing in my research which even suggests that the murder which occurred in St Kilda is in any way related to the death of Alice Goddard.’ ‘Well… if you’d done your research, you’d know that she—Alice— was burnt alive.’ Pex stated plainly, ‘Similar autopsy results as your St Kilda murder. I read the newspapers too Mr Dronefire. If I was a police man, i’d definitely be looking at the murders as a double homicide, or possibly two murders in a repeat serial killing. Mind you, this country’s never been well equipped to deal with the serial killer phenomenon, the AFP has a history of bungled investigations in that regard.’ ‘This snuff film?’ I asked increasingly intrigued, but distracted—’You said you were aware of——‘ ‘Everyone in Melbourne is aware of Slaughter Theatre, Mr Dronefire. It’s a legend that’s been spreading around parties in the Northern suburbs for as long as Venereal disease.’ I tried to hold back a chortle, given the morose aspect of the subject matter.
Mr Pex began to walk again, and I followed him up over the last dirt pile which led to the alleged murder site. We were quite high up on the elevation now and had a good view of the Melbourne CBD. Pex stared outwards towards the skyscrapers looming over the Yarra on the horizon. ‘Do you know much about the Crown Casino?’ Pex asked, looking in the general direction of the deluxe crown towers on the horizon. ‘Only that it’s putting a lot of cash in Andrew Packer’s pocket’ I replied. ‘Pfa haha… Packer’s barely here, he’s too busy in Sydney building his 60 million dollar pad at Barangaroo, when he’s not brushing gently against his Scientologist buddies. Good mates with Tom Cruise our James, they’ve all stayed out here at Crown towers too; prominent Scientologists, the Kardashians, the Bush’s, the Rumsfields. Kerry Packer was much more interesting than his son, you know Dronefire. Back in the days of VHS, back when him and Rupert Murdoch were fighting their cold war over who was to be the king pin of the Australian media.’ I took a moment to absorb the serene, pale view of the spires of Hexton CBD, and the dark crown towers silhouetted by the glare of the sun. ‘I’m waiting for the day when the full history of Consolidated press broadcasting comes out,’ Pex continued, ‘…there’s a dark past there the public may never know about. But ol’ Kerry, he knew how to separate recorded history into public and private.’ ‘How do you mean exactly?’ I asked ‘I’m not going to spill all the dirt on Kerry—Mr Dronefire. My father and he had some shared acquaintances. We’d be here all year, and besides, what’s the point. The old cunts dead. You’re a younger bloke, aren’t you Dronefire? I’m guessing 34?’ Pex continued without waiting for an answer, ‘My generation will always remember the day— ha— when Nine Network over stepped Packer’s rule book….’ We reached the top of the hill and stared down into a junkyard of scrap material where the body of the girl had allegedly been dumped. ‘During the shortly lived ‘Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos’ hosted by the Triple M yobbo Doug Mulray, do you remember? Grown men all over the country were loosening their belts with joy, but Kerry knew there was a time and a place for pornography, and Network television wasn’t it… Haha…. ‘Get that shit off the air!’ That’s what he told the Nine execs when he called them. You should have seen Doug Mulray’s face. Now young James, he’s much more interested in chasing girls, much more interested spending his time in Casino’s than policing the media-boundaries of public and private.’
‘Forgive me Mr Pex’ I interrupted, ‘Maybe i’m misunderstanding all of this. But what exactly does this have to do with the snuff film? Slaughter Theatre?’
Pex seemed satisfied he had given me enough time to look at the scrapyard the body had allegedly been dumped, his body language suddenly changed, and suggested I had overstayed my welcome, and he authoritatively began to escort me back down the dirt hilltop. ‘I can tell you everything I know about the snuff film Mr Dronefire. I’ve heard plenty of rumours about these murders being connected. About them being filmed, and what not. The rumours are everywhere out West and up North in Victoria. They have been for the last 50 years— every time a body shows up, theres a new trail of gossip. Melbourne IS the murder capital of Australia, Mr Dronefire. But unfortunately, I can attest to the truth of those claims no more than I can—the millions of claims about the Loch Ness monster. For all intents and purposes, those of us who are sane rightly dismiss such conspiracies as absurd. Right wing nuts who can’t handle disorder in everything, want everything to be part of some master plan. Then you’ve got the left wing vultures, media types who love a scandal, any fad you can write an article about, or make an indy film inspired by. That’s all this is. Now I have to apologise Dronefire, but I am a busy man. Always happy to help out any investigation, and i’d just as soon see whoever is behind these horrendous crimes behind bars, as much as you, the police— and the girls parents. Now—‘ I could see Pex was wrapping up, but I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied with the information I had been given, and needed a few more points; ‘Do you mind if stick around here for another ten minutes, just to get some quick interviews with the staff?’ Pex looked mildly disgruntled but not resistant; ‘I can give you ten minutes. Longer than that and you’d be interfering with our productivity i’m afraid. You can speak to our onsite supervisor, he works with most of the staff here.’
Drendyl whistled, and an ocker looking fellow with a mullet, safety vest and a hairy arms made his way over. ‘Fortyn Kildare, this is Private Investigator Dronefire. He’d like to ask you a few questions about the death of Alice Goddard.’ Pex excused himself and disappeared, as I shook Mr Kildare’s hand. ‘You’re a little late aren’t ya?’ asked the gruff man in a thick Aussie accent; ‘Press was all over this ten months ago. What are you hoping to dig up now—eh??’
Continued in Part Two: https://www.reddit.com/libraryofshadows/comments/7new6s/slaughter_theatre_part_two/

The Glass Jar.

My feet hang over the arches of the balcony, where I can see the lights of the Etihad Stadium hang in the sky like a faraway island. It’s late at night, and the exhaustion washes over me like a wave; after a day of talks and book signings and endless handshakes with potential publishers. On the coffee table, by an empty bottle of wine, a book cover reads:
“A Forgotten Four Years: My Journey From Psychosis To Wellbeing”
How is it that loneliness kicks in at these hours of the night? How is it, that after hours and hours of being surrounded by an adoring mass of people, do I feel like being alone - only to be starved of human interaction when the quiet hours roll through? It’s fucking absurd.
I’m listless; I’m restless. I walk to the kitchen with my bathrobe snagging on everything I touch - I’m drunk and high as a kite. A sigh rushes out of my throat as I open the cupboard doors and find it empty of cheap Shiraz or Malbec or whatever fucking poison I expected them to have. I turn around, back into the lonely nights of the city…and then there’s you.
I don’t remember your name. But a part of me remembers you.
You float through the air like a spectre, your white dress billowing in an invisible wind only you can feel. Your light, brown hair suspended in a breeze; kind, green eyes staring straight into me like warm spotlights.
“Hey Karl,” you say.
It’s not my name; not the name that people know me by. Not the heavy-handed pseudonym I chose to carry for my new life. Not the name on my birth certificate - blotted out of my memory after four years of…whatever the hell happened. It’s a name from the past; a name used by people who knew about the person I was. It’s a name I barely remember.
“Who are you?” I ask.
You skip happily, and plant yourself sitting on the kitchen counter. Your feet dangling in the air like loose rope. You give me a sly smile, a wink of someone utterly familiar. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember,” you say. “You said you won’t ever forget.”
A part of me wonders if it’s the alcohol talking, or the fists of ketamine on my nose - but a hidden part of me knows. You must have been someone from back then, in those four years I forgot. “You’ll have to…refresh me,” I say. “Things happened. I can’t remember anything important from back then.”
You scoff, then flash me a smirk that makes my blood boil a little. “You really don’t remember?” you ask.
“No, not at all,” I reply.
“Here’s the thing, Karl,” you say. “Once upon a time, we were married.”

"We met at this...student demonstration," you say, as you twirl your fingers around your hair. "We were young, idealistic. We thought we could change the world, you know?"
It's the first time I register that your legs are melting into the kitchen counters. But I don't feel a strangeness, no oddity. There's only an odd familiarity, as I suddenly realize that there's a ghostly glow surrounding you - a barely-visible streak of blue that colours your pale skin. It's like seeing an old acquaintance, someone you once loved a lot.
"What were we protesting?" I reply.
You shrug. "I don't know. Capitalism? Feminism, maybe? It doesn't matter anymore. I don't think it really mattered back then," you say. Your bone-white fingers dig through the crevasses of the plunge in your dress, until you pull out a cigarette. You stare at me for a good three seconds before lighting it. "I think...to be honest? We were really just covering up the fact that we had problems of our own. Problems we couldn't fix."
Something wells up suddenly, like a muscle memory suddenly stirred. I want to grab your feet and run my thumbs through your souls. Random fragments pop up: your closed eyes, as you savor the touch of my fingers, your hands pulling my hands into your hair. The memories flood, and I feel a growing lump in my throat.
"What was...your problem?" I ask.
You flinch for a split second, before blowing smoke in my face. It doesn't smell like anything. You tilt your head, squint your eyes like you're trying to remember something, and then you smile at me. "I had depression. I think you knew it too, the first time you saw me."
"What makes you say that?" I ask.
"You came up to me, in the middle of a protest. It was before they broke out the tear gas," you giggle. "You held my hand and said, 'Your sadness is something beautiful. You're like a broken bird I want to heal.'"
A chuckle escapes my throat - it sounds like a terrible line. But it sounds like the exact same thing that people told me I did say - before the insanity and psychosis took my memory away. Not a lot of people want to talk about what happened, so a part of me felt like I needed to know. "What kind of person was I?" I ask.
Your lips curl into a shy smile. "You were perfect and loving and charming and...gosh," you sigh. "You were absolutely bloody perfect. We were perfect together."
"Then what happened?" I reply.
An overwhelming sadness suddenly burns into a slow fire behind your eyes. You tap out the rest of your cigarette into my wine glass. "I happened," you say sadly. "It was good, until the rest of my depression kicked in. I got worse, Karl."

"It started well..." you begin, as your fingers sink through the gray marbletop of the kitchen. "...But then again, that's always been the case with you, hasn't it? Everything's good and dandy while it's interesting. Then you start to drift away when the boredom kicks in. I wish I knew sooner."
Your face betrays a tinge of something sad, and I feel sudden pangs of sadness kick in. I feel like I should be apologizing - for what, I don't really know. The world is off-kilter: you're here, floating through my apartment, defying the laws of everything physical, and it's not registering as strange or terrifying or concerning. It feels comfortable, somehow.
My hands rummage through the draws to find a glass, and I go to the tap to fill it with cold water. "How...how were we, as a couple?" I ask.
You sigh, as you walk through the kitchen counters. The lower part of your body melts through it, then reappears as soon as you pass through. Where your hips have passed, a pale blue light leaves cloudlike trails that glow in the dark of the hotel. "As I said, you were good...at first. I'd have my panic attacks, and you'd step in like some sort of sentinel against what I could do to myself. You'd spend late nights curling up with me in bed until I calmed down. We'd smoke weed until I couldn't feel the world anymore-"
And just like that, a few more snapshots kick in. A day in the park, a picnic by the botanical gardens. Holding hands by a bridge that overlooked the river at night. Watching the flames from the Crown Casino balloon up, as I watch your face in utter delight, bathed in pyrotechnics. It's a memory I haven't seen in a while. I feel my eyes well up in tears.
Your hands graze across my left cheek. The touch doesn't register. Instead, I feel a creeping cold from the trail your fingers draw. "You had this weirdass habit," you chuckle. "Like, I was depressed and all, right? But you had this weird...idea that reading Sylvia Plath to me at night until I slept would help. What was it. The Bell Jar?"
"What a man is is an arrow into the future and-", I mutter.
"-what a woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from," you finish. "Do you remember now?"
I look at your kind eyes, and find it in my to brush the hair off the side off your face. What greets me when I lift your locks of hair are burn scars - stretching from your temples, all the way to the back of your head. Lines of singed flesh like a lattice of hurt I once knew. "I remember trying to save you," I say. "I remember trying to keep you in this world."
"Do you remember what happened after?" you say.
I feel the balloon of something heavy, something expanding very quickly, at the back of my head. There's a memory I can't quite access yet. You give me that same kind smile, and your arms wrap around me in a cold, airy embrace. I don't feel any warmth from it.

We sit on the balcony, you and I, as the night lights of Melbourne fade into the background like a fog of fireflies. Your cold hands on my shoulders. A sad, sad smile.
"There was this time," you begin. "There was this time. It was the day after I had a really bad panic attack and you stayed awake throughout the night to make sure I was okay. We were walking by the pavement that lined the Yarra. You held my hand and smiled the whole way...I spent the whole way apologizing, saying sorry for the night before, you know? I knew how bad I was, I knew the toll it took. It wasn't the first time either - we had gone through the same thing already, so many times before. Do you remember what you said, eventually?"
I shake my head.
"You said you wouldn't forget," you mutter. There is a spark of something painful and bitter, but it's too faint to register. "You said that someone as memorable as me needs someone to keep me in mind all the time."
I can't help but smile. Another cheesy line. I lean in to give you a kiss on the cheek; but all I feel is cold air. "But...something must have happened," I say. "Otherwise, you'd still be with me. Otherwise, I'd remember those four years."
Your face twists into something sad, something betraying the slightest hint of anger. Suddenly, the hollow in your eyes turns deeper, darker. Your fingers slowly creep towards my head, your hands circling the base of my neck. "Then it happened, again and again. And again and again and again and again and again."
A discomfort suddenly springs. I feel the fear I should have felt earlier.
"And you'd help me at first, you'd help me like the good guy you are..." you hiss. Then, the speck of hate in your face melts away into an incredible sadness. "But eventually, you know what happened?"
"What...what happened?" I stutter.
"Eventually, you stopped trying to save me," you say. "Do you remember everything now?"

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved me. We met in the smoke of protests; drawn to how broken we both were. I thought I could fix her, I thought I could mend her. But that's not how stories like these go.
She succumbed to her illness, one cold Friday night. I found her body on the kitchen floor. Her head stuck in a lit oven, much like the author of the books I read to her. There was no note, no hum of a final goodbye. I never saw it coming.
Every night, she visits me. Every night, she makes me remember. When I asked her why, she said:
"You said you wouldn't forget. So I'll never, ever let you."

.

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